World History
Oskar Schindler: The Industrialist Who Saved Over a Thousand Lives
Oskar Schindler, a name synonymous with courage and compassion amidst the horrors of the Holocaust, is remembered as the man who saved more than a thousand Jews during World War II. His story, immortalized in the book "Schindler's Ark" by Thomas Keneally and the subsequent film "Schindler's List," showcases how one individual's actions can make a profound difference, even in the darkest times.
By Deji Akomolafeabout 6 hours ago in History
Rajat Khare: A Visionary Leader, Entrepreneur, and Investor
Rajat Khare is a name synonymous with innovation, entrepreneurship, and impactful investments. As a visionary leader and seasoned venture capitalist, Rajat Khare has significantly influenced the business and technology sectors. His journey from an IIT graduate to a successful entrepreneur and investor is an inspiring story of ambition, resilience, and forward-thinking. His ability to foresee market trends and his commitment to fostering technological advancement have set him apart as a transformative figure. Rajat's ventures and investments are not only commercially successful but also contribute to societal progress. Through his strategic vision and unwavering dedication, he continues to pave the way for future generations of entrepreneurs and investors.
By Sneha Ranaabout 9 hours ago in History
Lewis Carroll’s Illustrations for “Alice’s Adventures Under Ground” (1864)
W]hat is the use of a book”, asks Alice in the opening scene to Lewis Carroll’s Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, “without pictures or conversations?” This question from Alice is at once a critique of her sister’s pictureless tome, and a paving the way for the delight of words and images to follow. Indeed, John Tenniel’s famous illustrations — for both the first edition of Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass — have become integral to how we experience the story, in both books and film. Tenniel, however, was not the first to illustrate the tale. That honor belongs to Carroll himself, whose original manuscript of the story (then titled “Alice’s Adventures Under Ground”) is littered with thirty-seven of his own sepia-ink drawings. It seems this entwining of word and image — so important to the published version — was there from the beginning.
By Samiya khan a day ago in History
AMERICAN. Content Warning. AI-Generated.
The modern United States is the most powerful country in human history. With over 800 military bases and 37% of global military spending, the United States has become the leader of a vast interconnected global system that has helped usher in an era of unprecedented prosperity and low levels of conflict. To understand America’s position in the world, and why it’s so pivotal for world politics as we know it, you have to go back to the country’s founding — back to when America wasn’t a global power in any sense of the word. During the first 70 years of its existence, the United States expanded in both territory and influence in North America eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean in a wave of expansionism that resulted in the wholesale slaughter of the indigenous people who populated the continent. But early Americans were deeply divided as to whether the country should expand beyond the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. This became a major debate after the civil war, when some leaders, like post-war Secretary of State Seward, argued that America should push to become a global power. Seward succeeded in pushing a plan to purchase Alaska from Russia, but his attempts to buy Greenland and Iceland, as well as annex territory in the Caribbean, were all blocked by Congress. That’s because some Americans, including many on Capitol Hill, had a strong anti-imperialist bent. These people worried about America getting more involved in global politics, as well as having to integrate populations from “inferior” races. And this opposition applied major checks on the imperialist urge to expand. But something was happening in the late 1800s that would change the debate about American expansionism. The industrial revolution produced explosive economic growth, and the bigger US economy required a more centralized state and bureaucracy to manage the growing economy. Power became concentrated in the federal government, making it easier for expansionist presidents, like William to unilaterally push United States influence abroad. The key turning point came in 1898, when President McKinley dragged the country into war with Spain over the island of Cuba despite intense opposition. The rising US easily defeated the moribund Spanish empire, acquiring Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines in the process (1898). Over the next two years, the US would annex the Kingdom of Hawaii (1898), Wake Island (1899), and American Samoa (1900). A few years later the US took control of the Panama Canal Zone (1903) and sent troops to occupy the Dominican Republic (1916), it also purchased the American Virgin Islands (1917). This period of rapid acquisition of far flung territories put the US on the map as a truly global power. During this time, America also began using its influence to protect its growing commercial and military interests abroad, installing pro-American regimes in places like Nicaragua and playing a major role in international diplomacy regarding the Western presence in China. World War I showed how just how much America’s influence had grown. Not only was American intervention a decisive factor in the war's end But President Wilson attended the Paris Peace Conference which ended the war and attempted to set the terms of the peace. He spearheaded America’s most ambitious foreign policy initiative yet, an international organization, called the League of Nations, designed to promote peace and cooperation globally. The League, a wholesale effort to remake global politics, showed just how ambitious American foreign policy had become. Yet isolationism was still a major force in the United States. Yet isolationism was still a major force in the United States. Congress blocked the United States from joining the League of Nations, dooming Wilson’s project. During the Great Depression and the rise of Hitler, the US was was much more focused on its own region than on European affairs Ultimately, though, America’s ever-growing entanglements abroad made it impossible for it to stay out of global affairs entirely. In East Asia, the growing Japanese empire posed a the direct threat to American possessions and troops bringing the United States and Japan into conflict. This culminated in the Pearl Harbor attack bringing the United States into World War II. World War Two would transform America’s global presence forever. The United States was the only major power to avoid economic ruin during the war, and it was the sole country equipped with atomic weapons. As such, it was in unique position to set the terms of the peace — and, with the aim of preventing another war in mind, it took advantage. The most famous example of this is the creation of the United Nations. The UN charter set up a system of international law prohibiting wars of conquest, like the ones waged by the Nazis and the Japanese. It also served as a forum in which the international community could weigh in on disputes, and help resolve them. This way, the Americans hoped, great powers could resolve their differences through compromise and law rather than war. But while the UN is the most famous of the post-war institutions, it isn’t the only one. 730 delegates from all 44 Allied nations came together in a small vacation haven in New Hampshire. Their goal? To establish a global financial system that would prevent another Great Depression and World War. The resulting agreement, called the Bretton Woods Agreement ultimately became backbone of the global financial system. Resulting in the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. By creating these institutions the United States committed itself to being deeply involved in the world’s problems. The issue, though, is that the world’s second-largest power — The Soviet Union — saw things differently. World War II had made allies out of the democratic West and communist East in the fight against Hitler, but that couldn’t last. The United States saw Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe and elsewhere as a direct threat to its vision of a free-trading world. "To a substantial degree, in one form or another" Socialism has spread the shadow of human regimentation Over most of the nations of the earth And... the shadow is encroaching on our own liberty. Fearful of Soviet intentions towards Western Europe, the US and other European nations created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance meant to stop Russia from invading other countries in Europe. Globally, the US committed to a strategy called “containment” — so called because it was aimed at containing the spread of Communism everywhere on the globe. This new global struggle meant that the US had to exert influence everywhere, all the time. Instead of disbanding the massive military machine created for World War II, its wheels mostly kept turning. This had two main results: first, the US was pulled into unlikely alliances with countries like Saudi Arabia, Israel, and South Korea, seeing each of them as bulwarks against communist influence in their region. Secondly, the US began intervening, often secretly, in dozens of countries to contain Soviet influence. Sometimes this meant propping up sympathetic dictators like in Iran, other times supplying rebels with arms and money like in Afghanistan in 1979 and Nicaragua in 1985. Over the course of the Cold War, the US intervened in hundreds of disputes around the globe, ending up with a complicated set of alliances, tensions, and relationships in basically every corner of the earth. After the Berlin wall fell, the US could have withdrawn from this system, severing ties with its allies and drawing down the size of its military. And while the US did military spending, much of the military infrastructure and alliances from the Cold War war remained. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton decided that it was in both America and the world’s interests for the United States, now the sole superpower on earth, to continue actively managing global affairs. " We should be and we must be Peacemakers" NATO, created solely as a tool for countering the Soviets, stayed together and even expanded, a way of keeping European nations united in the absence of the Soviet threat. Washington’s support for countries like Israel and Japan stayed intact, ostensibly as a means of preventing war in those regions. The global system of alliances and institutions created to keep the peace during the Cold War became permanent — as did the American military and political commitments needed to keep them running . This system remains in operation today, and no leading American politician since the Cold War has seriously called for dismantling them — except, perhaps for Donald Trump. Trump has said contradictory things about these commitments. But he’s consistently argued that American allies are not paying America enough for its protection, and questioned the value of free trade. That calls NATO and even the World Trade Organization into question. At some point, we have to say, you know what, we're better off if Japan protects itself against this maniac in North Korea. We're better off if South Korea is going to start to protect itself -- and Saudi Arabia?-- Saudi Arabia? Absolutely. This is a sharp divergence from the consensus that has dominated US foreign policy since 1945, and something closer to the isolationism that came before it. So will President Trump act on some of candidate Trump's ideas, and reverse decades worth of institution building and alliances? We'll find out, soon enough.
By Timothy Mwitia day ago in History
Interesting Facts about Pork, from History to the Best Cuts.
Pork is one of the most popular types of meat in the world. Apart from its enjoyment, apparently there is a unique history and interesting facts about this type of meat. Not beef or chicken, but pork is the most widely consumed in the world. This meat is liked because it tastes delicious, can be processed into various dishes, and the price is more affordable than beef. Pork has become an important part of many cuisines around the world. The pleasure is recognized, whether it's the crispy bacon or the juicy pork chops. Apart from its deliciousness, pork also has a ton of interesting facts, ranging from history, cultivation, to which cuts of pork are considered the tastiest. Here are a number of interesting facts about pork, which perhaps not many people know.
By Anthony Lopeza day ago in History
"Nigeria" A Giant of Cultural Diversity, Economic Power, and Global Influence.
Nigeria, often referred to as the "Giant of Africa," is a country teeming with vibrant cultures, diverse landscapes, and significant historical and economic milestones. With a population of over 200 million people, it is not only the most populous country in Africa but also one of the most diverse, boasting more than 250 ethnic groups, each with its unique languages, traditions, and customs.
By Okeke Davida day ago in History
The Cabman’s Story: The Mysteries of a London “Growler”
We had to take a “growler,” for the day looked rather threatening and we agreed that it would be a very bad way of beginning our holiday by getting wet, especially when Fanny was only just coming round from the whooping cough. Holidays were rather scarce with us, and when we took one we generally arranged some little treat, and went in for enjoying ourselves. On this occasion we were starting off from Hammersmith to the Alexandra Palace in all the dignity of a four-wheeler. What with the wife and her sister, and Tommy and Fanny and Jack, the inside was pretty well filled up, so I had to look out for myself. I didn’t adopt the plan of John Gilpin under similar circumstances, but I took my waterproof and climbed up beside the driver.
By Samiya khan 2 days ago in History